Huntington (Appalachia)
Before the Great War, Huntington was one of the largest cities in the Appalachian region. An inland port city located at the crossroads of three states, it was a vital shipping hub for much of the eastern United States. Like the rest of Appalachia, the city was not directly targeted in the Great War, and managed to survive. Despite this, it would still suffer the consequences both of the war and the events that would come in the decades afterwards. History In the years before the Great War, Huntington was primarily focused on heavy industry and shipping. The city had extensive port facilities, and was the largest inland port in the continental United States. It also served as a rail transport hub, with transfer of goods too and from ships and then distribution further inland being a large part of the pre-war economy. The city featured numerous industries, but was primarily focused on those connected to mining, such as steelworks and other refining and processing. The months leading up to the Great War were a time of strife for Huntington as they were for the rest of Appalachia. Due to its heavy industry, pollution became a problem with soot-choked skies and heavily contaminated water being commonplace. These problems only became worse as regional industries were pushed into overdrive to support the war effort, with volume of production taking precedent over safety or environmental concerns. Likewise, accidents became ever increasingly frequent as staff were pushed to the limits on long shifts and overambitious quotas. Many of these issues came to a head in the second half of 2077. Mayor Edgar Cline was a proponent of the regional initiatives for full Automation of the state’s infrastructure, a position that was not popular in a city who’s populace feared for their jobs. On top of that, he also supported Hornwright Industrial’s programs for developing and deploying automated minders to replace human workers. Much of that was thanks to campaign donations by the Hornwrights that ensured he stayed in office, despite how deeply unpopular he seemed to the voting public. Huntington was not immune to the strikes and rioting that rocked southern Appalachia during 2077 by any means. One by one, the workers in the city’s various industries put down tools and joined their fellows in strikes against the companies that sought to replace them with robots. This strangled the economy, which was already struggling under the weight of wartime shortages and disruptions elsewhere in the region. Those industries still operating were often doing such without reliable supplies, as mines and transport across southern Appalachia were occupied by striking workers. In September 2077 matters reached a head. Desperate for resolution (and facing pressure from his political backers) Mayor Cline ordered the police to break up the strikes. Instead, many police officers proved to be sympathetic towards the strikers, due to their shared fears of being replaced with robots. The result was a half-hearted effort at best, which saw police forces withdrawn after making very little progress. Undeterred, Mayor Cline then gave Hornwright full permission and his complete support to deploy strikebreaker Robots to break up the strikes instead. The result was an escalation into full-blown riots that rocked the city. The city was on the verge of complete anarchy on the morning of October 23rd, 2077 when the Great War erupted. While it not directly struck by nuclear weapons, Huntingdon did have to face the fallout. Many were killed straight away from secondary blast effects, while others died of massive radiation exposure. Other problems quickly became apparent, with power failures and loss of communication occurring across the city. On top of that was the human element. Panic set in, leading to rioting and looting across the city as those that had survived the war then assumed that they were doomed anyway. Adding to the problems was a lack of apparent leadership in the city. Mayor Cline had disappeared that morning, his whereabouts completely unknown to everyone including his family. With the city in chaos, deputy mayor Linda Goulart took control of the situation, placing herself in charge until such time that the mayor could be found or communication could be re-established with Charlestown. She gave Police Chief Bill Stokes the authority to use whatever means necessary to restore order to the city. While his methods were heavy-handed, including a curfew, ordering looters to be shot on sight and imposing harsh punishments for mot crimes, Stokes managed to reign in the chaos. This did not end the threats to the city by any means, however. Garrahan’s Strikebreaker robots were still active and occupying a number of industrial facilities within the city. Lacking any orders from their owners, the Robots took to attacking anyone who tried to access their facility that lacked the proper Garrahan identity cards. Goulart and Stokes both agreed that these machines represented a threat, and would likely start attacking civilians if not contained. Under Stokes’ command, police forces attacked the robots, destroying them and regaining control of the facilities. While successful, this operation was not without its cost in lives and collateral damage. By the end of the year, Goulart was able to make contact with the Charlestown Provisional Government and the growing Responder movement. Unfortunately, she learned that the situation in the capital was just as dire, with shortages of food and other supplies being commonplace and order only being maintained through the enforcement of martial law. Furthermore, the Provisional Government’s control only covered a portion of the state, with little communication able to cross the mountains leaving little to no idea what was going on over there. The Responders quickly set up trade routes between Charlestown and Huntingdon, using Camden Park as a rendezvous point along the way. The Responders named city Fire Cheif Cody James as their commander in the region, based on his considerable experience in emergency management and numerous decorations for valor. Privately many also had reservations about Bill Stokes, whose methods for restoring order in the city were seen as excessive. The city’s central Fire Department became the Responders’ headquarters for the region, complete with recruitment, training facilities and supply distribution (The latter being partially handled by Vendor-Bot Lennie, a modified fire department Protectron). While stability had been achieved and a degree of contact made with the outside world, Huntingdon’s future was far from secure. Trade with Charlestown went some way to alleviate shortages, but strict rationing remained in place with food distribution entirely under the control of the Responders. In several cases, individuals were caught hoarding supplies or trying to game the system. In such cases, they were forced to hand over their stashes, and do ‘volunteer’ work for the community. Criminals were often sentenced to hard labour, with the worst offences being punished by exile or death. The harsh, extended 2077-2078 winter did not help the situation either. Huntingdon was forced to consolidate somewhat, with portions of the city being abandoned in order to preserve resources for the rest. Those that were in the city’s fringes were evacuated towards its centre, but there were those that were unwilling to leave their homes for whatever reason. On top of that, the city became a destination for refugees leaving the Ash Heap region, much of which was quickly becoming uninhabitable due to the heavy pollution in the air and numerous subterranean fires. This served to only further strain resources as the city was forced to absorb more population. When winter finally broke in June of 2078 there was a small feeling of relief. The Responders took the opportunity to send out clean-up crews to deal with the fringes of the city that had been abandoned in the preceding months, hoping to reclaim some of them. What they found was that they had instead become home to scavengers and looters, and even worse things. Mutated creatures had taken up residence in some of the ruins, including what were initially reported as being zombies; irradiated, withered humans that mindlessly attacked anyone who came near them. With some reluctance, Goulart and James simply declared these parts of the city abandoned, and concentrated on fortifying what was left. While a rational decision at the time (if somewhat unpopular) the decision would come back to haunt them. The next year would be somewhat more stable and transitory, as the people of Huntingdon became more accustomed to their new lives in this strange new world. With the lifting of winter, the roads became somewhat more accessible, allowing the city’s leadership to get a better idea of what was going in in the region. Unfortunately, very little of it was good news. Reports reached them of raiders coming out of the Divide and preying on the people of the relatively untouched western portion of the state, rampantly killing and looting other survivor communities. From further east came reports of survivalists taking control of the region around Harper’s Ferry, while others spoke of a private army called the Brotherhood of Steel. The summer of 2079 bought another threat to Huntingdon. The city’s waterfront had been largely abandoned after the Great War. Even before the conflict the river had been heavily contaminated by pollution and runoff. Now it was heavily irradiated, and choked by debris. While the idea of using it to try and make contact with other communities in other states had been floated, the combination of navigation hazards and the need to focus on the more immediate concerns of survival had outweighed that desire. While the waterfront had remained abandoned and unused, it was far from empty. Scavengers quickly found that the district’s buildings, as well as several docked vessels, had been colonised by mutated river creatures. Resembling crabs, but much larger and more aggressive, these creatures proved to be impossible to dislodge; efforts to do such resulted in casualties among the Responder forces for no actual gain. The only good news is that the creatures seemed to be largely uninterested in attacking the city proper, and only in maintaining their territory. With some reluctance, the city’s leadership created a cordon of destroyed buildings and fortifications around the waterfront, effectively surrendering it. Plans to eventually reclaim the region were floated, but none would ever reach fruition. Goulart would request aid from the Charlestown Provisional Government in launching such an operation, but would see them denied as resources needed to be directed elsewhere. Despite this setback, life in Huntington would be somewhat functional, if not entirely comfortable, for the next three and a half years. The fortifications put around the inhabited parts of the city would help keep the wildlife at bay, as well as provide a degree of security. Defence and peacekeeping duties were handled by the Responders, who took to training volunteers in a variety of duties. Those on defence duties were armed with various firearms rounded up by the Responders in an effort to consolidate weapon supplies and improve the city’s defences. While the move was unpopular, Chief James managed to sell it as being necessary for the city’s survival. For all that preparation, it was an event that was entirely outside of the city which would most come to shape its future. The Christmas Flood of December 25, 2082, destroyed Charlestown and with it, the Charlestown Provisional Government. Almost immediately, Huntingdon was left isolated, its populace shocked by the level of barbarity and destruction unleashed by the Raiders. Up until this point, they had considered them to be a minor nuisance, but now it was clear that they were a danger to be reckoned with. With the provisional government literally swept away, the Responders stepped up as the closest thing to a government for western Appalachia. Goulart, however, was reluctant to deal with them beyond what was needed to maintain the safety and security of her city. Outwardly, she claimed that it was about ensuring Huntingdon’s survival, while also making sure that the city didn’t fall victim to an attack similar to the one Charlestown suffered. Inwardly, she blamed the Responders for what had happened through aggravating the raiders, especially given that she had lost family in the catastrophe. Goulart and James clashed several times over the matter. The Responder Chief felt that it would be irresponsible to abandon the rest of Appalachia, especially after they had suffered such a severe loss. Eventually, the pair of them reached a compromise, where James would still assist other Responder groups where possible, but a portion of their forces would remain in Huntingdon regardless to ensure the city’s protection. Even then, the strong working relationship the pair of them had built in the days after the Great War had begun to fray, and it would never fully mend. Following the Christmas Flood, self-reliance became the order of the day. Parks and other open spaces within the city were given over to agriculture to provide the population with a more stable food supply. Hunting trips were also organised into the ruined waterfront in order to harvest the invading Mirelurks for meat to supplement diets, while also serving to contain their numbers somewhat. While never successful at driving them out, these expeditions would become a regular part of life in the city for those brave enough to volunteer. The Chaney Crab company, formed by a pair of entrepreneurial hunters, became the city’s main supplier for Mirelurk meat for the next decade. Trade continued with the rest of Appalachia, but it was increasingly conducted through Camden Park. Other problems soon arose for the people of Huntingdon. Emboldened by the destruction of Charlestown and the weakening of the Responders, Raiders became more frequent along the roads around Huntingdon. The Responders stepped up their patrols and raider-hunting expeditions, but remained somewhat unaware of the full extent of the problem. For some time after the Christmas Flood, Sean Watts, a Cutthroat lieutenant, had been seeking to expand his power within the gang. While Huntington was far afield from their usual bases in the Savage Divide and certainly well away from their usual targets in the Forest and Mire regions, there was a lot to be said for its relative isolation. Starring in the summer of 2083, he launched a series of seemingly random, small-scale raids on the fringes of the community as well as its traders and other exposed targets. While having little to connect them on the surface, these attacks were aimed at probing the city and its defences in order to get a good measure of their strength and capabilities. While he was doing this, Watts also began recruiting new members in order to bolster his ranks, pulling from scavengers and other displaced persons in the region. Often his recruitment was based as much on selling promises of a better life to the poor and desperate as it was about conscription through intimidation. Using the intelligence he had gathered, Watts began quietly infiltrating the deserted portions of the city with his own forces. He built up arms stockpiles and other supplies in preparation for what he had planned for his masterstroke, the one that would see him rise to power. Every move he made was slow and deliberate, aimed at consolidating his hold while avoiding showing his hand to the Responders and leaving them in the dark as to what was actually going on. He went so far as to plant several false leads that would result in the Responders engaging in a wild goose chase, spending time and effort to raid supposed hideouts that were in fact empty. On the 21st of June 2084, after almost a year of preparation, Watts launched his plan. Using explosives scavenged from various mining sites, his men blasted a hole in the defensive walls around the inhabited portion of the city. Pouring in en masse, they aimed to overwhelm the Responders and then sack the city, taking whatever they wanted. At first, their attack seemed successful, with the raiders meeting very little resistance once they entered the city. Most of what they encountered was panicked citizens who were trying their best to flee the onslaught. Emboldened, Watts pressed his advantage and advanced further into the city. Rather than the easy victory he expected, he instead lead his forces straight into an ambush, commanded by Bill Stokes. While Stokes and his small force (most of whom were police veterans) were direfully outnumbered, they held the twin advantages of position and surprise. Together, these elements were enough to blunt Watts’ attack as he was forced to hunt down and eliminate Stokes and his force. While the police were eventually defeated, they had bought enough time for James to rally the rest of the Responders and stage a more effective defence. Realising that the situation had turned against him, Watts tried to withdraw his forcers from the city. Now outnumbered and surrounded, he took to setting buildings on fire in order to distract the Responders while covering his retreat. This bought him enough time to make an escape, although the majority of his force were now either dead or captured. Not only had his attack been unsuccessful, but it also became clear to Watts that he had fallen out of favour with the other Raider leaders due to his personal ambition and wasting of manpower. With the raider threat ended, the people of Huntingdon did their best to once again pick up their lives and rebuild. The fortifications were rebuilt and reinforced, in some cases by using materials salvaged form the buildings that Watts had destroyed. Cody James used the opportunity to launch another volunteer recruitment drive, while also instituting a round-up of all the weapons in the city in order to ensure that the Responders were well armed. This move was not entirely popular, but the majority still went along with it, if begrudgingly. Mayor Goulart would publicly enshrine Bill Stokes as a her of the city, a move that did not sit well with many responders, James included. Raiders would continue to be a nuisance to the city, but they would never have the same degree of immediate threat, and never attempt anything so bold. Improved training by the Responders would help to mitigate their threat somewhat, although attacks on trade caravans and salvage teams would remain a regular part of life. Watts himself would last until April 2087, when he was eventually found hiding out in an abandoned mine near the city. Wounded in a gunfight with Responders, he was bought back to the city, given a show trial and then executed. Most of the next decade was focused on the day to day activities of survival. Ensuring a steady supply of fresh water and food was the chief priority, with strict rationing being a regular part of life in the city. The canned ‘crab’ meat produced by the Chaney Crab company became a staple of the city’s diet, if not an entirely pleasant one. The city’s farming efforts produced mixed results, and were somewhat hampered by the heavily polluted air that would often blow in from the Ash Heap. Respiratory issues became commonplace as the air quality decreased, which lead to shortages of vital medicines. Trade with the other Responder-lead communities became vital in alleviating these issues. While few realised it, 2094 would signal the beginning of the end for Huntingdon. For years there had been stories circulating of giant mutated bat-like creatures that dwelled in the Mire and Cranberry Bog on the far side of the Divide. Few gave them much credence, assuming that they were the result of exaggeration. More pressing was the Responders’ relationships with the other survivor groups in Appalachia, especially the Brotherhood of Steel. When Responder Chief Maria Chavez gave the order to sever ties with the Brotherhood, Cody James readily agreed with her. He’d personally had little contact with the group, and was all in favour of any move that meant the Responders didn’t need to give up vital supplies, The rumours of the so-called Scorchbeasts became a reality in late 2095, when a new fissure opened up in the mountains south-east of the city. Reports came in of sightings of the creatures, and then attacks, confirming that they were indeed hostile and a genuine danger to the city. The Scorchbeasts also served to strangle supply lines, reducing contact between Huntingdon and the rest of the Responders. What little information that could get through revealed that the creatures were appearing elsewhere in western Appalachia in ever-increasing numbers. However, the Scorchbeasts were not the only new threat to emerge. They bought with them armies of mutated humans, ones that were seemingly tied to the creatures or possibly even under their control. While they resembled Feral Ghouls, the Scorched were clearly intelligent, and often were armed. Several encounters revealed that the Scorchbeasts were the source of these creatures, as they spread some sort of fungal infection that transformed humans into these ‘scorched’ creatures. Faced with this threat, Cody James wanted to send his forces north to aid Maria Chavez and the other Responders in trying to stop the creatures. On the other hand, Linda Goulart wanted to concentrate her forces in the city and protect it and its people at all costs. Frustrated with Goulart’s interference, James opted to deputise and arm as many people as he could, all the while sending those he could spare to Morgantown. As news of what was going on got out, many chose to leave the city and risk the open roads rather than face what was coming, although nobody yet realised the full extent of the threat they were facing. Much of 2096 was spent on preparation and a slow, fighting withdrawal towards the city proper. One by one, James’ forces abandoned their outposts and the like, leaving only Camden Park open to serve as a trading link. Instead he consolidated what he had in the city, hoping that it would be enough. In November the Scorchbeasts struck, rendering all of the preparations made for them pointless. A flight of the creatures opened the attack by flying over the city, dusting it with their spore clouds before turning to unleash their devastating sonic blasts. Below on the streets, all the preparations made for the attack degenerated into chaos under the combination of airborne assault, waves of Scorched coming in through the defences and citizens being transformed in the middle of the battle. Realising that the situation was lost from the moment the battle had started, James did his best to rally his men to buy time for the uninfected civilians to escape. Gathering what forces he could, James and the last of the Huntingdon responders held their ground at the central fire station. As Scorcbeasts circled overhead, waves of Scorched charged the building, many of which had been Responders not too long beforehand. They breached the defences through sheer weight of numbers, engaging in a bloody, room-to-room battle within the station as they were driven to wipe out the last of the defenders. As expected, the Scorched pressed on regardless of the losses they suffered, focusing on the remaining Responders to the exclusion of all else. The battle only ended with the death of Cody James, shot down in his office by a group of Scorched converts. The fall of Huntingdon marked the end of human civilisation in the region. The city remained in the hands of the Scorched, who came to infest its ruins. No living human would set foot in the city for nearly five years. Description Huntingdon is located in the western side of the Appalachian district, situated on the banks of the Ohio River at the mouth of the Guyandotte river. The city was surrounded by abundant natural resources, including coal, oil and natural gas. As a result of these conditions, the city’s economy was based primarily on shipping, as well as various heavy industries including resource extraction and processing, chemicals, steel and so on. The city also served as a rail hub for land transport across the region. Following the Great War, Huntingdon fell within what came to be known as the Ash Heap region. As a result, the city and its people suffered considerably from the polluted air that blew in from the burning mines, industrial sites and even the Rockhound. The city came to be divided into three main sections; the Inner City, the Outer City and the Waterfront. Inner City The largest section of the city, the Inner City was created by the arbitrary division of the city during the 2077-2078 winter. The contraction of the population towards a habitable core allowed for a better concentration of resources, easing the considerable burden on the first responders who were handling distribution of aid. Following the winter, this division became more permanent with the establishment of barricades around the district in order to protect the population from outside attack. As much effort was taken to preserve vital infrastructure and resources that would be helpful in maintaining the city in the years to come. The Inner City served as the seat of government, and was home to both the mayor’s office and the headquarters of the Responders. A number of key industrial sites were also maintained, and served to help support the population. Repurposing of structures became commonplace, with gyms, community centres, schools and the like serving as housing, aid distribution and so on. The police districts within the inner city were converted into armouries, and used as bases of operation for the Responders. Much of the city’s open space was converted over to farming in an effort to boost food production. Not only did this include parks and other green spaces, but also rooftop gardens. While many of these produced only marginal results, they still provided some degree of relief. While rainwater tanks were also commonplace, the water they collected needed to be boiled before it was of any use for drinking. Before the city’s fall, the Inner City was heavily patrolled by the Responders, who served not only to keep the peace and maintain order, but also to protect it against outside attack. While initially many of them were pre-war Emergency Services staff, they later came to be dominated by civilian volunteers. While portions of the Inner City were damaged during the Scorched invasion, much of it remained relatively intact. There are places where buildings have collapsed due to damage or neglect, but many of them are still standing and are inhabitable. The city is still inhabited by Scorched, many of whom are former citizens that were transformed during its fall. Outer City As much as the provisional government had tried to preserve their city, the reality of the situation said that such was not possible. During the 2077-2078 winter, portions of the city were abandoned, its population moving inwards to consolidate and reduce the strain on the city’s resources. These outer portions of the city, primarily in the northern and eastern sides, were left to rot after it became clear that reclaiming them was no longer feasible. This would not be the end of these parts of the city by any means. For some time they served as a source of raw resources for other projects, such as the makeshift walls that protected the inner city. Salvagers took whatever they could, stripping out whole buildings and leaving them as nothing but gutted shells. However, many other buildings were simply left as is for a variety of reasons, slowly decaying through neglect. Many have collapsed, while others are slowly falling in on themselves. Others have been deliberately or accidentally destroyed over the years. That is not to say that the outer city was uninhabited, however. There were a number of people who were unwilling to leave their homes and instead chose to simply rough it out. The outer city would also become home for some of those who were exiled from the Inner City for whatever reason, although many of them instead chose to go further afield. Finally, the outer city would serve as a base of operations for Sean Watts and his raiders for some time, who used the neglect and decay to mask their operations. The outer city also became a haven for various creatures, its empty buildings providing ample shelter for mutated wildlife. Radrats, Radroaches and other vermin are commonplace, but larger creatures such as Mongrels, Radscorpions and even scavenging Yao Guai have also been sighted in among the ruins. Feral Ghouls are also a common sight, some of which were once the inhabitants of the region who chose to stay there. The city’s fall changed little for the Outer City, and as long as the creatures there do not attack the Scorched they are largely left to their own devices. Waterfront Before the Great War, Huntingdon was the second largest inland port in the United States. Its role as a trade hub came to an end during that conflict, leading to the waterfront being abandoned for a variety of reasons. The combination of a heavily contaminated river, debris choking navigation and the radioactive fallout from neighbouring states meant that river travel was quickly made impossible. Instead, the decision was made to temporarily abandon the waterfront in order to concentrate resources, much as had happened with the outer city. Unfortunately, the waterfront was instead quickly colonised by a variety of mutated river creatures. Known as Mirelurks, the crab-like rapidly infested the buildings in the waterfront, as well as several derelict vessels. Through the combination of ample cover and a lack of predators, they multiplied rapidly and soon took on plague-like numbers. By the time the city’s leadership realised what was going on they had become too entrenched and populous to easily remove; several efforts at doing such proved to be unsuccessful, costing lives and resources for no real gain. The decision was taken to abandon the waterfront much as had happened with the outer city, leaving it to the Mirelurks. Makeshift fortifications were created to block them off from the rest of the city, while several buildings were deliberately destroyed in order to keep down their numbers and reduce breeding habitats. The decay of the waterfront served to be even more rapid and dramatic than the outer city, with much of the district reduced to a mass of half-collapsed and flooded buildings and capsized vessels. None the less, the district did provide a resource for the city even in this state. Those brave enough to hunt the Mirelurks were able to reap a considerable bounty by harvesting them for their meat and selling it on. These enterprises were so successful that Mirelurk meat became a staple of the city’s diet for a number of years. However, the hunters were allways careful not to probe to deeply into the district lest they become surrounded or set off a frenzied swarm of creatures. Without the pressure from hunters, Mirelurk numbers have only increased following the city’s fall. The Scorched have very little interest in the creatures, but will kill them if they stray into the inner city or attack them. Points of Interest Huntingdon Central Fire Department Following the Great War, the city’s central Fire Department became the headquarters for the Responders in the region. The building served as Cody James’ command post from which he and his staff coordinated Responder operations across the city, as well as beyond it. The building served as a barracks for their personnel, as well as having recruitment and training facilities for the induction and preparation of new recruits. Finally, the building also contained an armoury and cache of food and other supplies. Besides the Responder force, the building was home to a number of Fire-Fighter Protectron units, who supported Responder actions. One of them, known as Vendor-Bot Lennie, was set repurposed act as a trader and supply distribution for Responder forces. These Protectrons survived the fall of the city when their human counterparts did not, and today keep building free from Scorched while waiting for new orders that are never going to come. The building survived the Scorchbeast attack, even when it’s occupants did not. Most notably, it still has a considerable stash of weapons and supplies securely locked down in its underground shelters. For the moment they are inaccessible, as the only people who could open the armory are either dead or transformed into Scorched. City Hall The seat of power within Huntingdon, City Hall remained such after the Great War and until the Scorchbeast attack. While the office (and eventually home) of acting mayor Goulart for nearly twenty years, the building did undergo a degree of repurposing to better adjust for the realities of post war life. The streamlining of the city’s leadership saw much of its staff eliminated outright or retasked, freeing up a lot of space within the building. Much of this was then given over to accommodations or supply storage and distribution. Following Sean Watts’ attack on the city, the entrances were fortified. All of that preparation proved to be useless in the face of the Scorchbeast attack. The building itself was damaged, with its roof and upper levels bombarded by the creatures from above. Several parts of the building collapsed, while others suffered considerable internal damage. Despite this, the building remained standing and is structurally sound for the moment. The building is still inhabited, although now it is by a group of Scorched, many of whom worked there before their transformation. Huntingdon Steelworks Before the Great War, Huntingdon Steelworks was both a source of income for the city and a point of contention. The facility was the largest Steelworks in the region, and was a key part of the city’s economy. However, it also was a source of considerable pollution thanks to business practices which emphasised profits over everything else, and were shielded by the idea of wartime necessity. Likewise, the plant’s plan to automate much of its workforce caused no end of strife as workers went on strike in order to protect their jobs. Ironically that Automation would prove to be an asset after the Great War. The plant was made operational again, and while it never reached its full capacity, it was still able to function for as long as it had access to raw materials. The steel it produced was in turn vital to ensuring the city’s continued function after the war, and fed any number of programs. The Steelworks was relatively undamaged in the Scorchbeast attack. A small group of Scorched inhabit it, many of which were formerly its staff. Presently it stands idle, but could be in theory restarted and made operational again. Chaney Crab Company A case of post-war adaptation, the Chaney Crab company was an effort to make the best of a bad situation. A pre-war cannery, it was adapted to process and package meat harvested from the Mirelurks that infest the city’s waterfront district. This move ensured that the city would not only have a reliable (if unappealing) food supply, but also allowed its people to stockpile and build up reserves against possible disruption. The plant also experimented with other products, such as canned Molerat and Mongrel meat, to varying degrees of success. The Chaney brothers, Doug and Dinsdale, arranged deals with Mirelurk hunters to ensure that they would maintain a monopoly on the supply. None the less, they were canny enough not to put self-interest ahead of survival of the city as a whole, or at least temper it enough so that they remained in favourable standing with its leadership. Chaney Crabb Company survived the Scorchbeast attack intact, but has remained uninhabited and idle since. Inhabitants Linda Goulart The deputy mayor of Huntingdon before the Great War, Linda Goulart would serve as the city’s leader for nearly twenty years. A stern, hatchet-faced woman who was noted for her lack of humour and dry demeanour, she none the less was an efficient and capable leader. Goulart prioritised the survival of her city and its people over everything else, and made decisions that, while not popular, served that end. She claimed that she didn’t do the job to be liked, and would have gladly stepped down if she could have found somebody better for the role. Behind the public face of unity she presented, Goulart clashed numerous times with Cody James over a number of matters. She disliked the amount of power that the Responders had, and the fact that he would go over her head to the Responder leadership to get his way. Secretly she resented their presence; Goulart’s ex-wife and children were killed in the Christmas Flood, a disaster that she partially blamed on the Responders for provoking the raiders. Linda Goulart survived the Scorchbeast attack after a fashion. She was transformed into a Scorched, and became a controller that in turn leads the Scorched in the city. She often can be found in her own office, drawn to a place she no longer has any use for. Cody James A lifetime firefighter, Cody James had been promoted to city fire chief several years before the Great War. Even before the conflict he had a reputation for fearlessness and drive, being first to throw himself into an emergency and willing to take risks to save others. James had joked that his promotion was as much about his leadership skill as it was to ensure that he didn’t die in a fire. In the aftermath of the Great War, Cody was instrumental in organising the city’s emergency services and keeping them operational. This dedication bought him to the attention of the Responders after contact was made with Charleston, who named him the commander of Responder forces in the city. While often blunt and to the point, James’ goals were allways to protect the city and its people. He took an active part in the Responders’ activities, and often served as their public face as much as their leader. He remained a popular figure, especially in contrast to the often harsh Goulart, and was instrumental in the recruitment of new Responders and their continued support. While he did have reason to go over the Mayor’s head on occasion, he only did so with reluctance and only when he thought it was necessary. Cody James was killed in the Scorched attack. He died defending the firehouse in a desperate rearguard action. Bill Stokes The city’s chief of police before the Great War, Bill Stokes moved quickly after the Great War in order to consolidate his power. His first moves were to protect the city, by launching a harsh crackdown on looters and rioters, complete with shoot on sight orders and an enforced curfew. He also deployed his forces to disable the Garrahan Strikebreaker robots that were running rampant across the city. These actions were successful, but not without their cost in lives lost and collateral damage. Publically, it was for these reasons that the Responders named Cody James as their regional commander instead of him. The truth was more complicated, however. Before the Great War, Stokes had been surrounded by constant allegations of corruption and kickbacks, ones that were never proven but also were persistent. As a result, the Responders felt that he posed a risk and that he would not prove suitable to the role. Stokes never got along well with Cody James, and resented serving under him. None the less, he did his job and was an effective, if uninspired leader. During the Raider attack on Huntingdon he scarified his life to buy time for the Responders to rally their defences, and was buried as a hero. Some cynics suggested that his move was less about protecting the people as it was about his own reputation, ensuring that he would be remembered as a hero regardless of what else he may have done. Category:Communities Category:Places Category:Appalachia